PUBG Mobile: The new flare gun, and everything you need to know about it

Here's how to effectively use the flare gun while playing PUBG Mobile.

PUBG Mobile 0.8.0 has been around for a few weeks now, and the over 20 million daily active users on the game have already had a chance to try out the biggest change the update brought – the new Sanhok map. And while the fast-paced games on Sanhok have added a new angle to the gameplay on PUBG Mobile, the update has brought other changes as well. One of these is a new ‘weapon’, the flare gun.

Although not exactly a weapon, the flare gun brings a lot of potential to transform your games. But figuring out the way it works can be a bit tricky. Read on to find out how to properly use flare gun to optimal effect below.

What is the flare gun?

First off, the flare gun isn’t a traditional gun in the game, in the sense that it won’t do any damage to other players. It’s a rare find that is scattered around all three maps in the game’s Classic mode (Erangel, Miramar and Sanhok), and comes with just one flare loaded in. The flare gun can be picked up and kept in place of the handgun slot for each player, and can be used at any time during the game.

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In order to use the flare gun, the player should select it and fire upwards into the sky, directly above the current location. This will then call the airdrop, which will take a couple of minutes to arrive. The drop will parachute down to the location directly below where the flare is, so it’s important that the shot is fired directly overhead.

Outside the white zone

When the flare gun is fired while the player is anywhere outside the white zone (the safe zone during a game), the air drop will be the Armored UAZ (the newest vehicle in the game). The vehicle is the strongest vehicle in the game, requiring a significantly higher amount of firing to destroy. The Armored UAZ seats four players at once, and does not allow players to lean outside to fire while seated inside. Furthermore, players can still be shot at through the windows.

It’s the ideal vehicle for a quick escape, and the logic of providing it outside the white safe zone is to enable the player to quickly and relatively safely make their way to a safe area of the map. However, bear in mind that the time it takes to land could be better used to run towards the safe zone, and the blue play area could close on you while you wait.

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Inside the white zone

Firing the flare gun inside the white zone has a different effect. While the flare will still call in an airdrop, the contents of this airdrop are a weapons and armor ‘care package’ similar to the other random airdrops in the game. While players will get many of these same contents by pursuing one of the random airdrops, the flare gun brings the added convenience of receiving the care package where you are without having to pursue it.

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The flare is, however, visible across the map, and the crate itself gives off smoke to alert of its presence. Therefore firing a flare could alert other players to your location, and these same players will want to attack you to get access to the contents of the crate. The crate itself contains rare airdrop-exclusive weapons such as the AWM sniper rifle, Groza assault rifle and more, apart from useful gear such as the ghilly suit, level 3 helmet, vest and bag. Once you’ve raided the special crate, you’ll have a definite advantage over other players for the rest of that game.